ALTERED STATES

RICK MILLER started in 1983 in the field of electronic music and decided to continue in symphonic progressive rock, PINK FLOYD and GENESIS in sight; he returns for his 17th album to his loves of the beginning by reconciling the atmospheric, the electronic and the symphonic; sweet, captivating melodies with manly jolts; crossover bathed in sounds of Floyd, ENYA, VANGELIS and ALAN PARSONS.

'Altered States' intro on pure VANGELIS, trippy, pure prog juice; a Floydian key then ALAN PARSONS for the keyboards; languorous as a musical marshmallow, the 6-string shows the striking force unfolding a ballad and a synthetic prog break as we no longer imagined; a little flute to melt, the entrance slap. 'New Moon Prelude' archaic interlude with tribal percussions on steel drum and flute from the highlands to recharge before 'Wolf Moon' occurring, between the nocturnal atmosphere and the spatial atmosphere, with spleen, emotion and contemplative air; languorous voice, long sinuous melody interspersed with wild orchestral breaks, a dark cello that makes you dream or nightmare, ah this wolf. 'Borrowed Time' follows on a declination of Soundtrack of film, between orient and lord of the rings with elves in front; sweetness, tranquility of sound and melody with the flute of Sarah and Giulia; introspective and melancholy latent moment introducing a radiant guitar.

'The Trap' interlude melody that kills with cascading angelic flute, cinematic sound effects, purely orchestral, destabilizing serenity; the unstoppable progressive piece. 'Old Secrets' dark, avant-garde floydian, bewitching voice for a dreamlike ballad that is worth more than the last GILMOUR. 'Half Moon' grandiloquent folk-oriental-atmo interlude showing the work of composition, to listen to with headphones, magnificent. 'A Dream Within A Dream' returns to the title sung between MOODY BLUES and BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, with the guitar solo which raises the feeling until the final melodic slide. 'Full Moon Rising' usually the big title here a cinematic effect to close the album on a dark, disturbing air, like what it's not marshmallow on all floors.

RICK MILLER always amazes me offering a sound planned in advance, but where progressive touches always hide and leave you speechless. it is melodic but very well done, a state of symphonic grace much better than many current so-called melodic compositions that are not very full and emotional; in short, this concept album on ambient and atmospheric nature is still worth its weight. Jewel with a 4.5 in the genre.